Who’s behind it: The team behind Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Press Restaurant—including owner Samantha Rudd (also proprietor of Rudd Estate), chef Philip Tessier and managing partner and director of operations Justin Williams—has taken over part of the vacant neighboring building in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena for a casual all-day café. Tyler Potts, beverage director for Press, curates the wine program.
When it opened: May 26, 2025
Why you should visit: The café is located next door to Press and tucked behind Napa’s newly opened Museum of Art & Culture (the MAC), which occupies the bulk of the former Gary’s Wine and Marketplace space (which was Dean & DeLuca before that). Tessier said his vision for Under-Study was to combine all his favorite things under one roof, such as a Parisian pâtisserie, a café in Madrid and a prime butcher in Australia. “It’s a melting pot to showcase culinary craft, but in an approachable and fun way,” he explained. He wants Under-Study to be a one-stop shop whether a customer is seeking a pastry and a caffeinated pick-me-up, a light and casual lunch with a great bottle of wine, or a specialty food item.
[article-img-container][src=2025-05/restaurant-news-under-study-napa-owners-052925_1600.jpg] [caption=Under-Study is a collaboration between (from left) managing partner and director of operations Justin Williams, owner Samatha Rudd and chef Philip Tessier.] [credit= (Nicola Parisi)] [alt= From left: managing partner and director of operations Justin Williams, owner Samatha Rudd and chef Philip Tessier in Under-Study][end: article-img-container]
The design: The modern space is no larger than a typical coffee shop, with a long marble countertop in front of a full kitchen, which, in addition to turning out the daily menu items, serves as a research and development kitchen for Tessier’s culinary team. The back wall includes a window that peeks into the MAC—currently offering a wonderful exhibition on Julia Child—while vibrant pastel yellow, pink and teal hues create a cheery vibe. A handful of yellow tabletops, which fold into the wall when not in use, are joined by a casual standing bar and an outdoor patio. Under-Study will also have a teaching kitchen (still under construction) that will offer immersive classes, demos and collaborative events with winemakers and other culinary luminaries. “There will be a big focus on education. We’re challenging ourselves to learn new things,” said Tessier.
The menu: The all-day café is casual and intended to meet a range of customer needs. “You could spend 20 minutes or two hours here,” said Williams. During morning hours, coffee, bread and pastries are available, along with a concise breakfast menu with items like avocado kosho toast with toasted sesame and radish and an egg sandwich with Benton’s bacon. In the afternoon, a selection of small plates and snacks includes whimsical items like a lobster corn dog topped with caviar and remoulade, along with former beloved Press dishes—like sweet and sour pig’s ears and grilled octopus with truffle mole—that have been brought back to life.
While the Julia Child exhibit is on display at the MAC, Tessier’s team will also offer a special $40, three-course “Julia's Menu”—featuring their take on some of her classics. The opening menu includes asparagus vol-au-vent, roast chicken with morel mushrooms and an île flottante (“floating island”) of soft meringue atop crème anglaise.
[article-img-container][src=2025-05/restaurant-news-under-study-napa-corn-dog-052925_1600.jpg] [caption=The menu at Under-Study features whimsical items like a lobster corn dog with caviar.] [credit= (Nicola Parisi)] [alt=Glasses of wine and lobster corn dogs with caviar from Under-Study][end: article-img-container]
For visitors who want to hone their culinary chops, the butcher counter is curated for just that, with items such as whole birds from Liberty Duck Farms, house-cured cod, Flannery Beef and Snake River farms steaks, and more. “We’re taking products typically isolated for restaurants and making them available at accessible prices,” said Williams. “It’s a fun way to celebrate craft food purveyors,” added Tessier.
What’s on the wine list? While Press is renowned for its extensive collection of Napa Valley wines, Under-Study leans in another direction, focusing primarily on international wines. A small portion of the list is devoted to Napa, but rather than the typical bottlings, the opening day choices included Stony Hill Gewürztraminer Spring Mountain District and Ridge Vineyards Charbono Calistoga Frediani Vineyard. Cabernet lovers do have options, too, including Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena and Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Promiscua.
Potts has selected around 100 wines that can be purchased, taken home or consumed on-site without the typical restaurant markup. “We want wines to be enjoyed, and the core of the list is priced around $20 to $40, with some blue-chip bottles thrown in,” he said. Benanti Etna Contrada Cavaliere and Jurtschitsch Grüner Veltliner Niederösterreich are good examples of well-priced finds, while Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace and Dalla Valle Oakville represent the higher-end offerings.
To keep the list fresh, Potts plans to frequently rotate the choices and buy only a handful of bottles of each wine at a time. “If you come in twice in the same month, it might be a completely different list,” he said.—Aaron Romano
[article-img-container][src=2025-05/restaurant-news-le-chene-new-york-owners052925_1600.jpg] [caption=Le Chêne is the first solo restaurant for chef Alexia Duchêne and her husband, Roman Duchêne Le May.] [credit= (Andrew Bui)] [alt= Alexia Duchêne and her husband, Roman Duchêne Le May drinking glasses of wine at Le Chêne][end: article-img-container]
Powerhouse Chef Opens a French Wine Destination in New York’s West Village
Who’s behind it: French chef Alexia Duchêne and her husband, Roman Duchêne Le May, are bringing their take on sophisticated, youthful, French dining to Manhattan’s West Village with their first restaurant, Le Chêne. The two both bring years of experience in haute French cuisine; Duchêne herself is a rising name in French gastronomy, trained in kitchens like Grand Award winner Le Taillevent in Paris and having appeared on the TV show Top Chef France. Duchêne Le May most recently served as the maitre d’ of Best of Award of Excellence winner Café Boulud from chef Daniel Boulud.
When it opened: May 23, 2025
The menu: Drawing from Duchêne’s training, the menu at Le Chêne combines French classics with modern sensibilities, as exemplified by oeufs mayonnaise served with confit tuna and mimolette cheese (inspired by a tuna melt), lamb saddle and summer squash served with huckleberries and a mint sauce, and foie gras terrine accented with a sea buckthorn gelée. A showstopper in the dining room, according to Duchêne Le May, is the terre & mer pithivier—a “surf and turf” riff with potato gratin, pork and smoked eel, encased in an almost bronzed puff pastry.
What’s on the wine list? Packed with over 1,200 selections, the program is filled largely with options from across France, with a particular focus on Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux. (Duchêne Le May was born in Entre-Deux-Mers to a family of winemakers.) Ample offerings come from California and Italy as well, and a collection of large-format bottles is available. The goal, according to Duchêne Le May, is to provide a high-caliber wine list without the pomp: “Not everybody wants to go to a two- or three-star Michelin restaurant to have access to a nice wine list.”
[article-img-container][src=2025-05/restaurant-news-le-chene-new-york-dishes-052925_1600.jpg] [caption=Chef Alexia Duchêne's cuisine draws from her experience working in some of France's top kitchens.] [credit= (Andrew Bui)] [alt= A selection of dishes and glasses of wine from Le Chêne][end: article-img-container]
Choice verticals across the list include names such as Domaines des Comtes Lafon, Chartogne-Taillet and Château Haut-Brion. The by-the-glass list also stands out, with an almost entirely French lineup, including pours of Leclerc-Briant Champagne and Arnaud Baillot Burgundy.
The design: French interior designer Frederique Mortier d’Aumont made the 50-seat dining room look like an intimate Parisian apartment, with crown molding, lime-washed walls and a collection of vintage and modern high-end furniture and decor.—Julia Larson
Cathédrale Las Vegas Closes
Two years ago, Tao Group Hospitality debuted a new location in Las Vegas for its Cathédrale concept; within the Aria Resort & Casino, the restaurant combined dramatic, over-the-top Las Vegas glam with coastal Mediterranean fare and an Award of Excellence–winning wine list. Yet, after a short run on the Las Vegas Strip, Cathédrale’s last service will be Saturday, May 31.
“Aria and Tao Group have enjoyed a strong and collaborative partnership, and we remain committed to exploring future opportunities together,” said Mark Gilbert, Aria’s vice president of food and beverage. “As part of our ongoing evolution, we have mutually agreed to conclude our restaurant partnership at the resort.”
The design of the 266-seat restaurant was inspired by the Best of Award of Excellence–winning Cathédrale New York location, which channels the long-shuttered Fillmore East, a legendary concert hall on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The Vegas spot’s interior exuded urbanity and, with the city’s penchant for flair, featured 25 miles of chain hanging from the ceiling as an art installation.
As for the 220-selection wine list, a representative from MGM Resorts International, which operates Aria, said that after Cathédrale closes, other restaurants within MGM Resorts can view the inventory, and the wines will be allocated as each restaurant deems necessary. (Aria alone has four other Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners currently.)
Gilbert concluded, “We are grateful to Tao Group and the dedicated employees who have brought exceptional energy and hospitality to the venue since its opening.”—A.R.
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